Abstract
With the rise in numbers of mature adults becoming interested in returning to college, information is needed if programs are to be designed to meet the needs of these students. A critical input into the re-designing of programs is the faculty. This study was undertaken to identify the needs of the mature adults by use of a questionnaire sent to undergraduate faculty asking for their perceptions of mature (ages 25 or older) adult student. Results indicate that there is intense interest in the needs of the mature adult population but that there is little experience with this audience among the faculty. This and other data suggest that there is a need for an orientation program to acquaint the faculty with the mature adult population, and to develop an instructional program to fulfill their needs.
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A special thanks to individuals in the Offices of Academic Advisement/Transcript Evaluation and Continuing Education and especially to Mary Neuman and Pat Nassar for their help in the development of this project.
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Groves, S.L., Groves, D.L. The faculty's perception of the mature adult: A case study. Alternative Higher Education 5, 106–111 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01079660
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01079660